If Saunders stops Lemieux...

[Stuarty]

He won't. He'll win on points. Next.....

[jamamb]

the picks really coming in for saunders in the prediction game!

[apollo creed]

Don't know why but I think BJS is the strongest man in this fight. Lemieux would get tagged a lot by BJS. What do you think guys ?

I can't help thinking you're right about this. Saunders looks physically much bigger in height and width than Lemieux and he's ripped too.

His pre-fight antics seem pretty vicious and confident too.

Saunders has always been an underachiever, but with his military style training regimen at the Ingle gym in Sheffield seems to have elevated him somewhat.

I'm expecting a late Saunders stoppage, victory, unless Lemieux loses ambition and tries to survive.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that Saunders has somehow turned into the second coming of Julie Jackson overnight, but I feel that even dripping water wears away stone.

What I mean by that, is my expectation that the cumulative effect of Saunders elusiveness and jabbing will overwhelm Lemieux during the later rounds.

Lemieux gets beaten.

[apollo creed]

Don't know why but I think BJS is the strongest man in this fight. Lemieux would get tagged a lot by BJS. What do you think guys ?

Great question I think. I've been a fan of Lemieux and haven't missed him fight in a long time. How can you not be a fan of his style really? But you don't have to be a fan to notice that his conditioning + power punch volume are competing against each other from the first bell. Lemieux doesn't know how to not throw a punch as hard as he can. Lemieux only has a certain number of power punches he can throw and he usually spends them way before the end of the fight.

If I had to bet the fight, I'd bet on BJS with a late stoppage as a result of the above. I haven't seen a ton of BJS's fights but i've never seen him buzzed or goofy in the legs from a punch so i'm assuming he's got a good chin.

If the above happens then you have to give BJS a tip of the hat and put him right up there with GGG, Canelo, Charlo, and Jacobs. If BJS gets beaten by Lemieux then Lemieux deserves the winner of Canelo/GGG II. Plain and simple. Lemieux deserves it because he's mowed down people left and right.

I saw Saunders in very good shape and Lemieux drained and soft.

[jamamb]

did lemieux look much different than normal. not really imo. he usually has that kind of look. has drained face, not loads of definition, wide waist, curved back. slightly shorter. typical lemieux. im expecting him to be himself. but the questions if thats enough.theyve both struggled vs guys no better than the other.saunders seem to have a bit more to him, though i think points way more likely than stoppage.

ifeel like the weigh in how they look talk isnt tied that strong to performance tbh. mostly it reeks of wishful thinking from ppl trying to convince themselves of there desired outcome.bjs will outbox lemjust enough.

[apollo creed]

did lemieux look much different than normal. not really imo. he usually has that kind of look. has drained face, not loads of definition, wide waist, curved back. slightly shorter. typical lemieux. im expecting him to be himself. but the questions if thats enough.theyve both struggled vs guys no better than the other.saunders seem to have a bit more to him, though i think points way more likely than stoppage.

ifeel like the weigh in how they look talk isnt tied that strong to performance tbh. mostly it reeks of wishful thinking from ppl trying to convince themselves of there desired outcome.bjs will outbox lemjust enough.

Lemieux was stopped before by Rubio which is below BJS in any department (prime for prime).

[jamamb]

certainly not power. are you familiar with saunders?hes not a puncher at all. you also said hes stronger tham lemieux.his ko rate in 25 wins is under 50 percent and arguably best guy he stopped , fletcher, is totally glasschinned

if lem was the same fighter he was at 22 he wouldnt even be challenging for a 2nd title. going back to rubio misrepresents him, and that was more strategy (punching self out) then not having the ability to win. again boxing fans never stop holding losses against guys

btw i thought saunders lost to that weak russian two fights ago and lots of ppl didnt have him winning,, though i take context into account and am not predicting here based on that showing.he should win a decision.stoppage is possible but far less likely i think.

[Thomastearns]

Lemieux is not getting stopped. Saunders stance is optimised for movement not power.
The real question is whether he can stop Saunders. No one has previously come close, but then no one has had Lemieux's power either.

Regarding stamina, its difficult to see BJS not starting to gas in the final rounds. Pressure is the only strategy for Lemieux who'll lose all day on points unless he can inflict serious damage. Earlier the better. This is a great fight and could be a preview of Saunders v GGG.

[bmilligan]

Hopefully DL worked on cardio and learns to pace himself better. He tends to push his body and gets gassed, especially with a fighter such as BJS who will just stay on the outside.

Even if BJS wins, he will have to sit and wait for how the GGG/Canelo rematch unfolds.

[apollo creed]

Hopefully DL worked on cardio and learns to pace himself better. He tends to push his body and gets gassed, especially with a fighter such as BJS who will just stay on the outside.

Even if BJS wins, he will have to sit and wait for how the GGG/Canelo rematch unfolds.

Saunders could fight Andrade since he will be on ring side and watch the fight till GGG-Canelo happens. Andrade is a decent winnable scalp for Saunders.

[apollo creed]

Lemieux is not getting stopped. Saunders stance is optimised for movement not power.
The real question is whether he can stop Saunders. No one has previously come close, but then no one has had Lemieux's power either.

Regarding stamina, its difficult to see BJS not starting to gas in the final rounds. Pressure is the only strategy for Lemieux who'll lose all day on points unless he can inflict serious damage. Earlier the better. This is a great fight and could be a preview of Saunders v GGG.

Saunders looks to have a strong chin and good defensive skills. Hard for Lemieux to even drop Saunders.

[brilo33]

Lemieux is the banger, bjs dont need to get caught up in stopping him, not his style , they both gas middle rds ,bjs just needs to keep to his game plane jab and move

[Deleted_Scenes]

If I had to bet the fight, I'd bet on BJS with a late stoppage as a result of the above. I haven't seen a ton of BJS's fights but i've never seen him buzzed or goofy in the legs from a punch so i'm assuming he's got a good chin.

If the above happens then you have to give BJS a tip of the hat and put him right up there with GGG, Canelo, Charlo, and Jacobs. If BJS gets beaten by Lemieux then Lemieux deserves the winner of Canelo/GGG II. Plain and simple. Lemieux deserves it because he's mowed down people left and right.

Slow down a bit on Charlo. He's only beaten a crippled Heiland, so far at 160, and despite a couple of standout performances, he never cleared out 154 either. No reason yet to rank him above Lemieux, Saunders, Derevyanchenko or Murata.

I agree with most of everything else. This fight decides who's clear no.4 in the division. I don't see a Saunders KO, but I do think Lem is tailor made for him. The only chance I see for Lemieux to win, is either a KO within 4 (probably against the run of the action) or a robbery on the cards.

I'm going with Saunders to work him out and win a clear 9 rounds, which the official judges score slightly closer. Lem has been outboxed by worse technicians than BJS. Those fighters lacked a chin. Saunders has one, and he's as awkward and as crafty as they come.

[SenorPipino]

Saunders should come out victorious.

He has a few more dimensions than Lemiuex and his movement will drive the Canadian crazy.

Saunders certainly is not likely to win by KO. The BJS I watched against the Russian and Monroe certainly didn't look all that intent on trying to win fights by stoppage.

Against a power puncher like Lemieux, Saunders will try to box all night. Don't figure him to exchange much. Maybe a lot of tying up when Lemieux gets close.

Lemieux will be dangerous for the full 12 and will be trying mightily to pressure and catch BJS.

He'll have a tough time succeeding, even though Saunders is far from an elite fighter.

But he knows how to stink up the ring and still win. BJS's deadly dull triumph over Monroe was evidence that he can do practically nothing and still win handily.

But it's a fight where you can't bet the farm (odds range from Saunders a slight favorite to pick 'em).

Lemieux has the Golden Boy promotional edge and the bout is in his native Canada. Those factors could mean a lot in a close fight that goes to the scorecards.

So while I'm expecting BJS to earn a narrow decision, it's one of those fights where no one should be surprised if the judges see fit to call it a draw.

Maybe then they could rematch on the undercard next Cinco de Mayo of Canelo-Golovkin 2.

[jamamb]

If I had to bet the fight, I'd bet on BJS with a late stoppage as a result of the above. I haven't seen a ton of BJS's fights but i've never seen him buzzed or goofy in the legs from a punch so i'm assuming he's got a good chin.

If the above happens then you have to give BJS a tip of the hat and put him right up there with GGG, Canelo, Charlo, and Jacobs. If BJS gets beaten by Lemieux then Lemieux deserves the winner of Canelo/GGG II. Plain and simple. Lemieux deserves it because he's mowed down people left and right.

Slow down a bit on Charlo. He's only beaten a crippled Heiland, so far at 160, and despite a couple of standout performances, he never cleared out 154 either. No reason yet to rank him above Lemieux, Saunders, Derevyanchenko or Murata.

I agree with most of everything else. This fight decides who's clear no.4 in the division. I don't see a Saunders KO, but I do think Lem is tailor made for him. The only chance I see for Lemieux to win, is either a KO within 4 (probably against the run of the action) or a robbery on the cards.

I'm going with Saunders to work him out and win a clear 9 rounds, which the official judges score slightly closer. Lem has been outboxed by worse technicians than BJS. Those fighters lacked a chin. Saunders has one, and he's as awkward and as crafty as they come.

ya but to be fair on that point bjs has been given closer than 9-3 fghts by guys no better than lem too though. i thought he lost to that russan and beat ryder by only a point. lee was close green cej was close blacwell was closer than 9-3. bjs doesnt really often do 9 round jobs on good fghters. monroe barely threw and still won 4 rounds.

[Kalan]

If Saunders stops Lemieux it's not going to be a really big deal is it??? ..... Lemieux has been stopped twice already.

But I don't expect a stoppage... How big a puncher is Saunders? He can crack a little - but nothing special..

If Lemieux wins by KO it will be a bigger deal... If he wins by decision it will be a bigger deal yet... But he hates Saunders and he can really hit - so a KO for him is a possible outcome.

I expect Saunders to win a clear decision and see it as about a 60% chance of happening.

[Deleted_Scenes]

ya but to be fair on that point bjs has been given closer than 9-3 fghts by guys no better than lem too though. i thought he lost to that russan and beat ryder by only a point. lee was close green cej was close blacwell was closer than 9-3. bjs doesnt really often do 9 round jobs on good fghters. monroe barely threw and still won 4 rounds.

Akavov? Yeah, but did you see the shape he was in for that one? Saunders main weakness in the past, has been discipline, especially against lesser opponents. A lot of those fights are a few years ago now, too. I'll view those in the same way i view Lemieux's losses to Rubio and Alcine.

I think I gave Monroe 3 rounds (?), but it's worth noting Monroe is technically quite a bit better than Lemieux. He arguably won 3 rounds against Golovkin. His weaknesses come in other areas. Lemieux is stylistically easier for Saunders, than Monroe was. The equaliser is Lemieux's power. I just don't think he'll land enough.

[Impractical Poster]

The outcome of this fight will be either....

David KO
Saunder's UD

[jamamb]

dont see monroe being more difficult type at all. saunders has struggled most with being pressured and having to work hard. thats lemieux far more than monroe. when bjs fights good opponents he just doesnt do 9 round jobs imo. whether near the start, middle, or recent part of his career. akakov, lee, ryder, eubank all couldve been within a point or two. blackwell won 4-5 imo. monroe 4 imo despite hardly doing anything.

saunders seems motivated but he could just be one of those types who never has good stamina and is prone to fading and switching off.

i say bjs close decision

[Thomastearns]

BJS had never been under this kind of pressure. This is the moment he knew he'd have to face one day. I get the impression he's struggling to get his mindset right. This is new territory for him, alien territory. He just doesn't seen as confident as usual. This is a bigger fight for him than it is for Lemieux. Its a pretty big fight for Dominic Ingle too after a couple of fiascos with Kell Brook.

David Lemieux on the other hand seems nerveless. He will do what he always does. Such a simple style and unlike GGG there's nothing Saunders can do to make Lemieux change his approach.

This is Saunders' Carnegie Hall moment. Can he walk this tightrope for 12 rounds? He needs to and we need to find out just how good he really is.

[Grand_Cru54]

I saw the weigh in and Dominic Ingle seemed pretty sure when he said David Lemieux stepped on the scales and it flickered between 160 and 160.2.
He then went onto to say that Lemieux did make 160 on the second attempt.
But what was more important was when Ingle said Lemieux was apparently in the gym this morning trying to shed excess weight and at the press conference not looking anywhere near 160.
That's Ingle's opinion anyway and he did seem sincere, point of it all is has David Lemieux trained hard for the fight is what I got out of all of it.
Guess we'll see tomorrow.

I think BJS was also at 160.2 pouds, because he made 160 without his shorts on, just like Lemieux.

And, as Lemieux trainer said, they should be more worried of the 180 lb Lemieux will be during the fight, than the 160.2 at the weighing.

[KiwiRider]

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that Saunders has somehow turned into the second coming of Julie Jackson overnight, but I feel that even dripping water wears away stone.

What I mean by that, is my expectation that the cumulative effect of Saunders elusiveness and jabbing will overwhelm Lemieux during the later rounds.

Oh dear, I hope your not channelling Teddy Atlas there EO?
Let's nip that in the bud eh?

[SFW]

Saunders, even in his best shape, will still have the mid round lull he always has. Maravilla had something similar, and its that window of time guys can do damage. I see BJS taking a few point lead, then trying to bang a lil too much and get clipped. Saunders has dominated exactly NO ONE of any high caliber. He isn't going to dominate Lemieux either, he might squeak a decision but I doubt it.

[Jip]

F%;;#k saunders. He weak

Lemieaux KO round 1

[jamamb]

well this wont be a 9 round job either because bjs looks set to win all 12. really good stuff